Ryan's eyes flared open.

 

He sat up straight in the bed and looked around frantically. Once again he was dressed in a plain shirt and drawstring pants. He grabbed his leg, it felt fine. Rolling up his sleeve he looked at his upper arm. He didn’t find red pulsating glowing veins full of evil. Instead his upper arm had a faint, circular scar where his arm had been cut off.

 

"How are you feeling?"

 

Ryan snapped his head around to see the king sitting across the room in the shadows. He had removed most of his finery, but still looked like a king. Ryan gave him a thumbs up, "I like the look." He gestured up and down at the king, "Casual emperor. It works for you." The King looked down at his own clothes, picking to pull them up and away from his body and examine them closer. He snorted as he let go and returned his attention to Ryan.

 

The king echoed Ryan, “Casual Emperor."

 

This isolated room looked like the place he had been staying in for the past week, but didn’t quite match up. There were no windows and it felt far more claustrophobic. Ryan noted that his stuff from the other room was piled on the dresser. This felt less like a guest room and more like a well furnished prison cell. Ryan looked at his fingernails and then pulled on his hair, trying to get it in front of his face. He crossed his eyes to get a look at it, "How long was I out?"

 

The king stroked his mustache, "A little more than a day." He was silent for the space of a single heartbeat, "I asked you a question."

 

Ryan looked at the king and froze. Something about the tone of his voice was wrong. Ryan paused to look at himself. He pulled his shirt collar out to look down it. He saw nothing wrong with his chest. "Everything looks normal. I feel..." He looked off into the distance as he put two fingers over his carotid artery, "Fine." He took a few deep breaths then rocked from side to side, "Better than fine, actually."

 

He rolled out of bed, then dropped to the floor and started doing push ups. The king cocked his head to the side and watched Ryan without comment. Ryan pushed hard and started clapping between each push. Doing this a few times he switched to one handed push ups. He switched between hands a few times, then shoved hard enough to go from the ground to standing up.

 

"Whoa.” Ryan stared at his hands. Running in place, he started pumping his limbs double-time. Ryan ended his little self-diagnostic with a back flip, landing in a crouch. Ryan stopped dead and listened. Eventually he looked at the king, "Something... is off."

The king sat up, finally showing some sort of reaction, “What is it?”

Ryan slowly straightened up, "I'm not breathing any harder." He put two fingers to his neck again, "My pulse." He frowned, "It's barely changed." He dropped his hand to his side, "Damn... what'd that girl do to me?"

 

The king leaned back, "The girl?” He squinted for several moments as he thought, “Ah. You mean the saintess. I’m not sure, to be honest. I don’t know if she is aware of what she did, either. That’s what happens when you channel the power of the goddess."

Ryan bounced on his toes a few times, "I feel better than ever." He flexed his right arm a few times, "Except for the scar, you wouldn't know it was ever detached."

 

The king stood up and nodded.

 

Ryan watched the king and caught on to his attitude. Ryan held up a hand, "Hey. Uh... look. I need to say something."

The king stopped approaching him, "Go on."

 

Ryan took a deep breath, "Okay. Here goes." He held up a finger, "One. Thanks for saving my life. If... if you hadn't stepped in at the end there. I'd have been toast. Yes, I did quite a bit of dancing there but..." Ryan made a fist and hit his chest over his heart twice then pointed at The King, "Respect."

 

The king didn't react.

 

Ryan shifted on his feet, feeling awkward. He held up two fingers, "Uh... two. I've... been a right pain in your ass. I have felt like I was this-" He held up a thumb and forefinger an inch apart, "Big for the past week and I let my damn ego get in the way of saying I'm sorry." Ryan looked away and started to pace around the room aimlessly, "I have this preconception of what a King is. Nobles period. I... just... I thought you were all universally corrupt and evil and... I know... saying it out loud... what I'm saying isn't true... it's a... feeling. Not... logic. "

 

Ryan wound up looking into the vanity mirror in the corner, "I never gave you a chance. I never gave any of you a chance and... I'm feeling like total shit over this." Ryan futzed with his hair a bit, "I'm not just sorry. I regret... everything. All the trouble and... calling you a monster and I'm sorry I'm not... right in the head. I don’t know how to be a noble or bow or the proper way to address someone." The king slowly walked over closer.

 

Ryan hung his head, "I guess I'm saying thanks for everything and..." Ryan leaned forward putting both hands on the vanity as he raised his head to look into the mirror. His eyes flickered over to watch as the King moved up behind him, "I'm hoping you'll forgive me." The king walked up behind Ryan and just stood there.

 

The silence grew exponentially.

 

"I really hope we get to the part where you say you forgive me because-" Ryan started drumming his fingers, "Because I'm getting really worried you hate me or something."

 

The king reached up to scratch the back of his neck and closed his eyes as he finally said, "I forgive you." Ryan let out a sigh of relief and spun around to give the king a hug around the midsection, "Thanks, Old Man." The king didn't react right away, keeping his hands held up high in surprise. Eventually he squeezed Ryan's shoulders, "It's fine. It'll all be fine. No matter what happens we... we will work it out."

 

Ryan squinted in confusion as he pulled away to look up at the King. The king looked sad and on the verge of crying while forcing a smile all the same. Ryan took a step back, "Whoa Whoa Whoa! No tears! Men don't cry! That's-" Ryan made a cutting motion across his own throat with the flat of his hand, "Nope nope nope. Men have only one feeling. Hunger. Everything else is just a variant on hunger." The king laughed at the absurdity of the statement.

 

"Men have more feelings than that, Reed."

 

Ryan's grin faded, "Something bad happened while I was out cold, didn’t it?" The King remained motionless, but eventually nodded. He stepped to the side then sat heavily down on the bed, "Something bad happened." Ryan took in a long hissing breath through his clenched teeth,  “And I’m part of the problem.” Ryan looked around the room then back at the king, "So you moved me into the bat cave." The king looked sideways at Ryan, then sighed as his eyes looked at the floor, "You are quite perceptive."

 

Ryan took a step closer to put a hand on the King's shoulder, "Old man, I got your back.” The King looked up at Ryan, opened his mouth, then closed his mouth as he hung his head, looking defeated. Ryan squeezed, "Hey. HEY. You." He pointed a finger at the king, "You listen to me. Alright?" The King looked up at Ryan with a mixture of hope and sadness. Ryan snapped his fingers in the kings face, "Whatever happens. Whatever you need." Ryan hooked a thumb at his chest, "I got you covered. You just ask. No matter how bad it is, or how much of a disaster, I'll fix it." The king put his face in his hands.

 

"It isn't that simple."

 

Ryan kneeled down and looked up at the king, "HEY! It IS that simple! There is always another way! There is always another choice. You give me a problem, I’ll find the solution. You are used to thinking like a king.” Ryan tapped the side of his head, “I think like a fool.” The king looked up at Ryan, puzzled.

 

“Never count on something being foolproof, for fools are so ingenious.”

 

The king laughed and turned away with a sniffle, then shook his head, “You are the craziest fool I ever met.”

Ryan grinned, “I’ll take that as a compliment."

The king looked back at Ryan and softly replied, “I guess it is intended as such.”

Ryan smirked back, “So... whatever it is, we’ll get through it together. Cross my heart and hope to die." He crossed his heart with a finger, then paused to add, "Again."

The king snorted in laughter and looked at the ceiling, "I really don't get you, but..." his gaze slowly returned to Ryan, "I believe in you." He reached over to ruffle Ryan's hair, "The gods help me. I don't know why, but I believe in you... young hero."

 

Ryan cleared his throat and pulled away to stand up, looking a little embarrassed, "Hero. Not sure if I earned that yet, but... thanks."

The king straightened up, "Yet, I think is the key word here." The king stood up and adjusted his clothes as he cleared his throat, "You helped me make up my mind. I think I know what to do now.” He paused to put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “You need to stay here a while."

 

Ryan nodded, "A'rite." Then snapped his fingers, "Hey. Before you go off and do your thing, you want to get something to eat? I have been meaning to cook you something called, 'Flapjacks'. It-"

 

The king's expression turned on a dime to one of intense anger, "You Will Remain HERE." He immediately relaxed his face, "For now.” Then smiled, “Please." Ryan froze at the sudden and rapid changes in the king’s emotional state. Ryan bobbed his head and took a step back while crossing his arms defensively, "Yeah-Yeah sure. I get it. Politics, right? People making a move? I'm... an ugly and uncomfortable truth, I imagine." Ryan gave a quick thumbs up, "I'm good. Just... let me know what story we need to get straight when I get out of here and I'll stick to it." Ryan's eyes wandered off to the side, avoiding the King’s gaze.

 

The king looked mournful, but the expression passed and was replaced with firm resolve, "I'll explain everything when I can." He turned and walked for the exit. Ryan called after him, "Hey, uh. Send books and food, 'kay? If... I'm gonna be here a while." then started to return to the bed. The king paused in the doorway as he was stepping through, “One last thing.” Ryan looked back. Uther lifted his chin and looked every bit the royal king he was.

 

“Thank you for saving my life.”